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Round The States
New Delhi, 25 July 2007
New Threat Of
Drought
MONSOON GOES MISSING
IN CENTRAL INDIA
By Insaf
The monsoon has gone missing
in Central India, causing anxiety to both
farmers and weather forecasters. The States of Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh,
Chhattisgarh, North Rajasthan and UP, should
have got maximum rainfall between mid-July and mid-August in the normal course.
But this has not happened, depriving these States of the much-needed showers.
Till July 10 there were no complaints. However, the subsequent two weeks have
made the weatherman sit up. A similar phenomenon in July 2002 and 2004 led to a
drought! And, if this break lasts three weeks to a month, then there is trouble
for sure. All crops, such as maize, rice and arhar, sown in the month of June,
which witnessed a good monsoon, are
in the development phase and require rain.
So far it’s raining only in the North East, with rest of the
country getting scattered rain. According to the Met a normal monsoon has a
permanent trough over Pakistan
and North West India and low pressure
over the Bay of Bengal. Both are missing with no signs of revival for at least the next
five to seven days. With reasons such as global weather patterns being cited
for this break in monsoon, the Met office has recast its forecast and says the
season’s rainfall is short by two per cent. All eyes are now raised towards the
sky, hopefully praying for the rain gods to smile. Else the panic button in
these States would need to be pushed.
* * * *
Rebellion In BJP
States
The Presidential poll is over. UPA’s Pratibha Patil has
moved into Rashtrapati Bhawan. But the outcome of the poll has inflicted unexpected
scars on the BJP and set the alarm bells ringing in the States of Gujarat,
Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh ruled by it. Contrary to expectations,
rebellion raised its ugly head among the party MLAs in the three States. Five
party MLAs in Gujarat supported Pratibha Patil
in a show of defiance against Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Eleven party MLAs
in Madhya Pradesh deliberately invalidated their votes to express their anger against the leadership. The rebels
identically wrote either “Jai Shri Ram” or “Hari Om” on their respective ballot
papers. Two BJP MLAs in Chhattisgarh preferred not to vote for NDA’s Bhairon
Singh Shekhawat. Clearly, the signs are ominous for the BJP and an indication
of bigger trouble ahead.
* * * *
Naxalites Move Into
Tamil Nadu?
Will Tamil Nadu turn into another Andhra Pradesh? Of late,
reports of “naxal” elements moving about in villages have come to the notice of
the local village administration. A handful of men arrested nearby E Pudukkottai village claimed to be members of the CPI
(Maoists) and the guns recovered were “rusted”. The State Government has been
on alert following the arrest of CPI (Maoist) leader Sundaramoorthy and two
others last month. Special police teams have been asked to comb forests in
Chennai, Salem, Madurai,
Coimbatore,
Dharamapuri and Krishnagiri. Even though the last naxalite incident took place
way back in 2002, the State cannot afford to be complacent, as some districts
have long stretches of thick forests on its borders with Andhra Pradesh and
Karnataka
* * * *
Hated Dadua Killed
in UP
Twentyfive-years of long search of the Special Task Force of
the Uttar Pradesh Police is finally over. The notorious dacoit Shiv Kumar Kurmi
alias Dadua was gunned down on Sunday last. The encounter in the forests of
Chitrakoot district brought an end to a reign of terror involving over 200
kidnappings, murders and extortions in the districts of UP and Madhya Pradesh.
Dadua, who carried a reward of Rs 5 lakhs in UP and another Rs 1 lakh in MP, wielded
incredible political influence. Anyone contesting an election from his area had
no other choice but to first seek his blessings!
Originally, a staunch BSP supporter, Dadua appears to have miscalculated this
time by switching over to the Mulayam Singh Yadav camp after the last general
elections. Interestingly, UP Chief Minister, Mayawati, has announced a reward
of Rs.1 lakh for each member of the STF team.
News of the killing of Dadua brought a sense of relief in UP
and in MP. But it was short lived. The night after Dadua was killed, another
dreaded dacoit Ambika Patel alias Thokia, retaliated and gunned down six STF
jawans and the police informer. Thokia appears to be eager to try and inherit
Dadua’s legacy. But this is not going to be easy. Mayawati is determined to
enforce law and order and prove to be one-up on Mulayam Singh as Chief Minister.
Much will ultimately depend on the cooperation of neighbouring Madhya Pradesh.
* * * *
Mayawati &
Commonwealth Games
In the perennial tussle
between Mayawati and Mulayam Singh, preparations for the Commonwealth Games
2010 may run into rough weather. Chief Minister Mayawati has decided to review
14 hotel sites in Noida and Ghaziabad
by Mulayam Singh. This is giving sleepless
nights to the Union Sports Ministry. Singh’s government is said to have changed
the norms for allotment and issued
these under “industrial” rather than “commercial” category. “Urgent requirement
of rooms” was its justification, given the background that about 20,000 hotels
are needed in the National Capital Region to host the Games. If she reverses
the norms again, Mayawati may well run the risk of being termed a spoilsport
like the Jharkhand Government.
Shockingly, the Jharkhand Government has put up its hands in
hosting the 34th National Games, which are barely four months away---from
15 to 25 November. The Jhakhand Government has simply told the Indian Olympic Association that it is not prepared to host the
games. The callousness shown by Ranchi is unbeatable. No
infrastructure, be it an athletics stadium, or a velodrome, or an aquatic complex
plus swimming pool, or a shooting range, is ready yet. And while the Jharkhand
Government awaits a new schedule to host the games, it has an added worry: of
how to pay a penalty of Rs five crore!
* * * *.
Arunachal For
Status Quo
Top Arunachal leaders, headed by former Chief Minister
Gegong Apang are keeping their fingers crossed.
They want status quo of all Parliamentary and Assembly
constituencies in the State and no fresh delimitation. Happily for these
leaders, Delimitation Commission Chairman
Kuldip Singh has appreciated their stand and recommended to the Union Law and
Justice Ministry that status quo be maintained. Gegong Apang has also met the
Union Law and Justice Minister, H.R. Bhardwaj, who gave him a patient hearing.
His main plea: Status quo is required since fresh delimitation would greatly
disturb the existing balance between the large number of indigenous tribes with
different social ethos. It would also create problems for the thinly-populated
inhabitants of the vast State with the longest international border.
* * * *
Female Infanticide
in Orissa?
Suspected cases of female infanticide in Orissa have put the Naveen Patnaik government in a
quandary. On Sunday last, around 30 polybags containing bones and body parts of
babies were recovered from a garbage pit in Nayagarh town, 30 km from
Bhubaneswar, the State’s Capital. Earlier this month, seven bodies of baby
girls were found on the foothills of Durbari, near Nayagarh, forcing the
Government to start a search in nursing homes and clinics. The question
uppermost on officials’ mind is whether the remains are “linked to female
infanticide or a human organs trade racket?” Answers had better be found fast
so as to stem the rot before the State starts showing a declining sex ratio as
in the case of other States such as Maharashtra, Punjab and Haryana.---INFA
(Copyright,
India News and Feature Alliance)
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